Noting figures showing a sharp drop in the number of people trying to enter the United States illegally over the southern border with Mexico, the Homeland Security Secretary told Senators on Wednesday that he will not be recommending a border wall to run the entire length of the southwest border, from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico.

“I will say this, that it’s unlikely that we will build a wall or physical barrier from sea to shining sea,” said Secretary John Kelly, as he testified before a Senate committee.

“There’s no way I can give the committee an estimate on how much this will cost,” as Kelly said he was still developing – with the input of border officials – plans that would be a mixture of physical barriers, electronic measures and more.

DHS Sec Kelly this morning at Senate hearing: "It is unlikely that we will build a wall, a physical barrier, from sea to shining sea."

Kelly began the hearing by noting a big decrease in the number of people coming over the border illegally, as Republican Senators said it showed the get-tough-message of the Trump Administration was having an immediate impact.

“We’ve seen an absolutely amazing drop in the number of migrants coming out of Central America,” Kelly said, who noted a “dramatic reduction” in the number of women and children trying to make that crossing.

“It won’t last,” Kelly warned, “unless we do something to secure the border.”

At the same hearing, Kelly also took some heat from Republicans; at one point, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) brought up the issue of the President’s travel and refugee orders, the latest of which remains hung up in the courts.

“Next time you do a travel ban, how about thinking it through,” McCain said.